


One Last Time

by thesunisloud



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: I SAID SMILE F@CKER, M/M, Sad, Sad Diego, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-06
Updated: 2014-12-06
Packaged: 2018-02-28 08:00:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2724770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesunisloud/pseuds/thesunisloud
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post Ep 50, Diego misses Kevin. He visits Cecil to do something about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Last Time

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Sad Diego Day at videntefernanadez.tumblr.com
> 
> Diego belongs to videntefernandez.

Carlos’ figure stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, head down, perfect hair disheveled, labcoat in disarray. Cecil made a cry between joy and dismay and leaped up to embrace him.

A dozen little things were wrong, but the big clue came when the scientist raised a jeweled gun to Cecil’s chest.

“Stay still,” Diego growled, raising his head just enough to reveal black eyes.

Cecil stopped dead.

Diego straightened a bit; librarian victims looked less wrecked. Under his labcoat, his business suit was half-unbuttoned and filthy. His tie hung loose. The only thing more wrecked than his body was his face.

The gun remained leveled at Cecil’s chest.

“I miss him,” Diego said, his growl little more than a broken whimper.

Cecil did not like where this was going. His featureless eyes glanced around, searching for something to defend himself with. All he had was his cellphone; this one was less solid than the last, but he did at least think that “about to be raped and killed by ur double love u g2g” was short enough to text.

“Do one thing for me,” Diego said. “Do one thing and I’ll leave you with your pale, sorry Night Vale life.”

Cecil set his jaw and tensed. His heart quickened as the twisted double of his lover stared into his face.

“Smile.”

Cecil stared at him, perplexed.

“I said smile,” Diego growled more forcefully, almost managing to sound more threatening than sad. He flicked the gun. “Or you’ll have to smile around a bullet wound.”

Hand discreetly slipping his cellphone from his pocket, Cecil smiled.

“No. bigger.”

Cecil tried to comply.

“Corners higher.”

Where was the letter “K?” This was so much harder without looking at the keypad.

“Look sunnier.”

Cecil tried to push some brightness into his face.

“No, sunnier! Cheerier. Delighted. Look delighted to see me.”

Cecil forced the image of Carlos, uninjured and relaxed, on top of the wrecked doppelganger’s visage.

“No. Like the sight of me is what makes your sun shine. Like you are the sun itself. Look at me like I am your world and you revolve around me to nourish me with your warmth. Smile like there is so much light inside you, it tickles. Smile like you love me. Smile like— smile like—” Diego’s voice broke. He lowed the gun and put his free hand to his face, clutching his hair and covering his eyes. His shoulders began to shake.

In the tiny, high-pitched keen of a man forcing words through tears, Diego said, “I just needed to see your smile. Just one more time. It was what kept me going.”

He pushed himself off the doorway and walked away.

“Wait.”

Diego stopped at the sound of Cecil’s voice.

Cecil approached him from behind, carefully, so as not to startle him, and put his arms around him. He pressed his cheek against Diego’s hair and gave him a firm hug. “He’ll come back. He is a radio host. A radio host is always fine.”

They stood like that for several minutes. Then Diego moved to go, and Cecil released him and watched him disappear with no indication of how the embrace had affected him.

Cecil stood in the hallway for several long minutes more, and then his cellphone buzzed. Cecil glanced at the panicked reply from Carlos and quickly shot back, “false alarm nvrmnd :)”


End file.
